Experience the Beauty of Keukenhof: A Journey Through the Netherlands’ Most Spectacular Tulip Garden

After weeks of rain in the Netherlands, the weather has finally turned nice and sunny. On Sunday, April 7th, 2024, my husband, Mas Bas, suddenly suggested that we go to the Keukenhof Tulip Garden. Mas Bas wanted to visit the garden because even though I had lived in the Netherlands for almost 13 years, I had never visited the most popular flower garden in the country.

I was initially hesitant to go to Keukenhof because my family is allergic to flower pollen. The allergic reaction typically results in itchy eyes, watery eyes, sneezing, and a runny nose, but it’s not a cold. This allergy can be alleviated by taking over-the-counter allergy pills available at drug stores or supermarkets. However, these pills cause drowsiness, and need to be taken for a week. If the air is full of flower pollen, then I can take allergy pills for up to a month or until it rains and the air is cleared of pollen. Pollen from any flower, even certain grasses that grow in the spring, can trigger this allergy. It’s a troublesome condition, but yesterday Mas Bas was determined to see the tulips blooming at Keukenhof.

Mas Bas’s excitement was infectious, and despite my concerns, I couldn’t resist his enthusiasm. So, we set off on our journey to Keukenhof, armed with allergy medication and high hopes for a memorable experience.

Shop: Converse Floral

Keukenhof

Before heading out to the garden, we took several precautions to avoid allergies. We wore sunglasses to protect our eyes from pollen, carried plenty of tissues in case we sneezed, and applied some petroleum jelly around our noses to prevent pollen from entering.

Keukenhof is a massive flower garden located in Lisse, Netherlands, and is one of the largest of its kind in the world. Often referred to as the “European Garden,” it covers an area of around 79 hectares. Keukenhof is open for a limited time of about two months each year. Typically from mid-March to mid-May during the peak spring flowering season. This short time attracts visitors from all over the world to witness Keukenhof’s millions of flowers in bloom. Visitors can see a wide variety of flowers from different regions and climates. Not just tulips, including daffodils, hyacinths, orchids, roses, and many others.

Upon arriving at Keukenhof, we were welcomed by an overwhelming display of vibrant colours and a distinctive aroma of blooming flowers. Despite my initial concerns about allergies, the magnificence of the garden left me in awe. Mas Bas and I strolled along the winding pathways, admiring the countless varieties of flowers from different regions and climates.

Best Visiting Time

To purchase Keukenhof entrance tickets, you can visit www.keukenhof.nl and select a specific date and time slot. If slots are available, tickets can also be bought directly on-site. However, it’s important to note that payment at the counter can only be made by debit or credit card, and cash is not accepted. 

According to information, the best times to visit Keukenhof for a peaceful experience are after 10:30 AM and after 4:00 PM on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. During our visit on a Sunday, we had a 1:30 PM time slot and experienced a 2-hour traffic jam caused by car traffic in the parking lot and the red light leading to the park. To save time, we parked our car far from the park and walked to the entrance. 

Keukenhof is open from 8:00 AM to 7:30 PM, and it’s best to arrive on time and not later than the time slot assigned. The park is quite large, so it’s important to plan accordingly to make the most of your visit.

Facilities

Visitors are allowed to bring cameras into the park, but drones are prohibited for safety reasons. The park is wheelchair-accessible, and visitors may only walk inside. There are also restrooms tailored for individuals with reduced mobility, and free Wi-Fi is available in the garden pavilion. 

At Keukenhof, visitors may take a boat ride to enjoy the endless fields of flowers that surround the area. Boat ride tickets may be purchased online along with entrance tickets. 

To help visitors conveniently travel to Keukenhof, the Keukenhof Express bus is available. The bus departs from Haarlem, Schiphol, or Leiden. The trip from Amsterdam RAI, Schiphol Airport, and Leiden Centraal takes approximately 30 minutes. The journey from Haarlem Station takes about 40 minutes.

Shop: Converse Floral

History of Keukenhof

The Keukenhof has a long and fascinating history dating back to the 15th century. Originally, the area was a plantation owned by Teylingen Castle. It was primarily used as a kitchen garden or “Keukenhof” in Dutch, which provided fresh produce to the castle kitchen. 

In the 19th century, the estate was sold several times until it was eventually purchased by Baron and Baroness van Pallandt in 1857. They redesigned the grounds of Keukenhof, incorporating elements of the English landscape style and successfully creating a beautiful ornamental garden.

The transformation of Keukenhof into a spring flower garden began in 1949, when a group of leading bulb farmers and exporters in the Netherlands held an exhibition of their spring flowering bulbs. The exhibition attracted thousands of visitors, leading the organisers to establish Keukenhof as a permanent spring flower garden open to the public.

The Origin of Tulips

The exact origin of wild tulips is uncertain due to their widespread cultivation for centuries. However, it is believed that tulips come from a vast region spanning from Central Asia to the Mediterranean, including countries like Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, parts of the Caucasus, and Central Asia. The ancestors of wild tulips are thought to have originated from the mountains of Central Asia, and were first cultivated by the ancient civilizations of Persia and the Ottoman Empire.

Tulips became highly valued in Ottoman culture, with sultans and nobles cultivating vast gardens filled with colorful flowers. It was during this time that tulips spread to Europe in the 16th century. Tulips became a symbol of wealth, beauty, and status during the Dutch Golden Age.

Tulips And Holland

The Dutch have a strong interest in tulips, which developed into Tulip Mania in the 17th century. During this time, tulip bulbs were traded at very high prices, which reinforced the association of tulips with Dutch culture and made them an icon of the country.

The Netherlands became a pioneer in the cultivation of tulips, developing new varieties with a range of colours, shapes, and patterns. These horticultural innovations contributed to the growing popularity of tulips, attracting both domestic and international markets.

The cool climate, fertile soil, and flat terrain of the Netherlands provide ideal conditions for growing tulips. As a result, the country remains one of the largest exporters of tulip bulbs in the world.

Tulips have become an integral part of Dutch culture and are often associated with the country’s identity. They represent beauty, abundance, and the arrival of spring. The Tulip Festival and Keukenhof Gardens, which take place in the spring, are major tourist attractions that draw visitors from all over the world.

If you have the chance to visit the Netherlands during the spring, Keukenhof should be on your itinerary. However, if you suffer from allergies, don’t forget to bring your medicine.

Update:

During our visit to Keukenhof, we faced some challenges such as a traffic jam and the possibility of allergies. However, the memories we created that day will always remain in our hearts. As we were leaving the garden, I felt grateful for Mas Bas’s insistence on visiting. His unwavering enthusiasm turned an ordinary Sunday into a magical adventure, filled with love, laughter, and blooming flowers.

Although I can’t be certain, it’s possible that due to the rain the day before, we didn’t experience any significant allergies while at Keukenhof. However, after returning home, Mas Bas began sneezing and his nose wouldn’t stop running, as if he had a cold, until I published this blog.